This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to an electrical connector system for a mobile phone.
Mobile telephones have become extremely popular and are used by widespread populations throughout the world for communication purposes. FIG. 1 shows a typical mobile phone, generally designated 5, which includes a lower housing 6, an upper housing 7 and a printed circuit board 8 sandwiched therebetween. Typically, the printed circuit board is nested within lower housing 6. A plurality of electrical connectors are mounted on the printed circuit board, such as a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card connector 9, an I/O (input/output) connector 10, a battery connector 11, as well as other connectors associated with various functions of the mobile phone. The terminals or contacts of the connectors are permanently connected, as by soldering, to appropriate circuit traces on the printed circuit board. Most often, the circuit board is sufficiently large to accommodate adding other connectors to perform other functions, as required.
With the ever-increasing use of mobile phones as described above in relation to FIG. 1, more and more functions are being added to the phones. In addition, mobile phones are becoming lighter, thinner, shorter and smaller in overall dimensions. Still further, all kinds of different shapes and colors of mobile phone housings are being manufactured not only for aesthetic purposes, buy for uniqueness and novelty purposes as well.
With the wide variety of mobile phones of the character described above, problems are encountered when the connectors of the phones become damaged. For instance, if a user inadvertently damages a connector, such as breaking the terminals of the SIM connector or the terminals of the battery connector when inserting or removing a SIM card or replacing a battery, the mobile phone must be taken to a repair shop or sent back to the manufacturer for unsoldering and replacing elements as required. Consequently, the user cannot use the mobile phone during the entire repair down time. Aside from the various connectors, the printed circuit board, itself, may be damaged and have to be replaced.
The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing a mobile phone with a connector module system wherein various connector modules can be replaced without having to repair the entire printed circuit board/connector assembly.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector system for mobile phones.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, a lower phone housing is disposed beneath a printed circuit board having a plurality of circuit traces on a bottom side thereof. The housing includes a plurality of module-receiving cavities in an upper side thereof opposite the bottom side of the printed circuit board. A plurality of connector modules are positionable in the cavities. Each connector module includes a frame having at least one connector thereon. The connector has at least one flexible contact for surface-engaging the respective circuit trace on the bottom side of the printed circuit board. Complementary interengaging mounting means are provided between the frames of the connector modules and the lower phone housing to releasably mount the modules in the cavities, whereby the modules easily can be selectively removed from the housing for repair or replacement purposes.
As disclosed herein, the module-receiving cavities are of different configurations for receiving differently configured connector modules. One connector module may include a SIM card connector and an associated I/O connector. The module also may include a battery connector and a microphone connector. Another connector module may include a loud speaker connector as well as a receptacle for receiving a loud speaker, as well as an earphone connector and/or a vibrator connector. A further connector module may include an antenna connector along with a receptacle for receiving an antenna.
The complementary interengaging mounting means may take various configurations, such as a flexible latch hook on the lower housing releasably engageable with the frame of at least one of the connector modules. The mounting means may comprise a plurality of engaging grooves in at least one of the module-receiving cavities for releasably receiving flange means on at least one of the connector modules. The mounting means may comprise a contoured frame in at least one of the module-receiving cavities for releasably receiving, in a press-fit arrangement, at least one of the connector modules.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.